DURBAN - CHILDLINE KwaZulu-Natal has described the beheading of a 6-year-old girl in Estcourt as a heartbreaking case.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said police received a report on Thursday night of a girl, 6, who was killed at KwaSobabili in Ntabamhlophe.
“Upon arrival, police found the beheaded body of the girl lying in a rondavel. The child’s head was recovered on Friday in the river by police officers from the search and rescue unit. A 20-year-old suspect was arrested on Friday morning.”
Adeshini Naicker, acting director of Childline KZN, expressed shock at the incident. She said communities needed to help bring an end to the scourge of violence against women and children.
“This is heartbreaking, especially since this happens in the midst of 16 Days of Activism and while there is such hype around awareness. We applaud the SAPS on the swift arrest. We can only hope for a swift conviction.
“This is a call to all community members to mobilise and assist authorities and organisations like ourselves to bring an end to this scourge of violence against our women and children. Communities need to look out not only for their own children but others as well. It takes a village to raise a child.”
Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza, said the incident was a barbaric act by a heartless criminal.
“Whatever could have been an issue between the adults, the child was never involved. It is very painful that the child suffered and died like this. This incident occurred a few hours after the launch of the 16 Days for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. The majority of children and women are abused and murdered by those close to them who are supposed to protect them. We have to work together to end this scourge.”
Khoza said it was alleged that the suspect had an altercation with the victim’s uncle. “It is alleged that a 20-yearold suspect had a confrontation with the child’s uncle before the murder. He allegedly returned and entered the rondavel in which the child was sleeping. He was only noticed running out with a plastic bag dripping with blood.”
A team of social workers had been assigned to the family and will provide psycho-social support to them until they are able to cope, she said. The team will also visit the victim’s school to provide counselling to teachers and pupils.
“Our province has a lot of heartless criminals. We don’t understand where this extent of anger that leads to people treating children and women so violently emanates from. We have a number of murder cases of women and children. In some cases the killers are not found.”
Naicker said it was appalling that the child may have been a victim of revenge following an altercation.
“Children are not pawns. They need to be protected from any form of harm and danger. Murder of a child in this heinous manner should warrant a maximum sentence.”
The family of the victim was contacted by The Mercury but could not be reached by the time of going to print.
THE MERCURY